Metallica, Aerosmith, AC/DC Among Top Grossing Live Acts Since 1990

Billboard has just revealed the Top 25 Grossing Live Acts since 1990, and a handful of hard rock and metal acts have cracked the list.

For hard rock fans, there are a handful of big name acts that made the list, with Metallica leading the way at No. 17 with an estimated gross of $432,816,245. The band pulled that off by playing 468 dates during that period, with an attendance surpassing 8 million fans. Given that the tally only begins in 1990, that means their earliest shows on some of their most popular albums are not taken into account, but the huge popularity generated by the 'Black' album is definitely factored in.

Just one step behind them is Aerosmith at No. 18 with an estimated gross at $417,573,638. This took place over 582 shows with 8.4 million fans turning the turnstiles. While their '70s heyday was long past by the time Billboard started collecting the touring numbers, the band did generate five album releases and corresponding treks during the tallying tenure.

The final major hard rock band on this list -- AC/DC -- comes in at No. 25 -- with an estimated $337,879,092. That took place over 316 shows with just over 5 million fans attending shows. Though the band's recording pace was really stretched out during this period, AC/DC did enjoy huge returns for their 2008 'Black Ice' touring.